Carl hoepfner



(No Model.)

C. HOEPPNER. ELBGTROLYTIGAL APPARATUS.

No. 518,065. Patented Apr. 10, 1894.-

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UNrTED STATES PATENT Geuren.

CARL AHOEPFNER, 0F GIESSEN, GERMANY.

ELECT'ROLYTICAL APPARATUS.

SPEGIFICATION 'forming part of Letters Patent No. 518,065, dated April 10, 1894.

Application filed February 8, 1892. Serial No. 420,774. '(No mocleL) Patented in Germany February 22, 1889, No. 58,133; in Norway September 1, 1890, No. 1,967; in England September 1,1890. No. 13,735; in Italy September 30, 1890, XXIV, 28,112, LV, 196; in Spain November 11, 1890, No. 11.205, and in Austria-Hungary December l2, 1890, No. 39.156 and No.

To all whom t may concern.:

Be it known that I, CARL HOEPFNER, a subject of the King of Prussia, residing at Giessen, Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in and Relating to Electrolytical Apparatus and to the Diaphragme- Employed Therewith, (for which Letters Patent have been obtained in Germany, No.,

58,133, dated February 22, 1889; in Norway,A

tion, such as will enable others skilled iu thev art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My present invention relates to electrolyti' cal apparatus, and more especially to the diaphragms employed therewith.

In electrolysis, and more especially in the electrolytical treatment of chlorides, haloid salts, haloid acids and the like, it is necessary that the celldiaphragms shouldbe constructed of a material capable of resisting the action of the electrolyte, or a component or components thereof, or that of the products of decomposition. Notonly are the materials heretofore employed comparatively costly, but the diaphragms are more or less defective in that they do not possess the necessary power of resistance to pressure in apparatus in which said diaphragms are subjected to the pressure of the electrolyte, while the diaphragms for lapparatus designed for the electroly tical treatment of substances such as described, had to be constructed of materials capable of resistlng the deleterious action of the electrolyte or its components or the products of decomposition.

'My invention has for its object the provision of means whereby diaphragme of sufficient organic substances.

ponents or the products of decomposition, vand this I attain by the use of simple or compound diaphragms rendered proof against the deleterious influences referred to by nitrating the same or by nitrating the side thereof that faces the anode cell.

The invention consists therefore in the construction and nitration of the diaphragms, as will now be fully described, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which a simple form of electrolytical apparatus is illustrated by cross-sectional views.

Figure 1 shows a diaphragm composed of a material containing a nitrated organic substance. Fig. 2 shows a diaphragm that is mechanically braced or supported'on opposite sides by a textile material, that side facing the anode being nitrated or containing nitrated Fig. 3 shows a diaphragm in which the nitrated membrane or that part that faces the anode is so arranged relatively to the diaphragm proper as to form a cell between the two for lthe reception of a liquid or'semi-liquid thatwill more or less hinder diffusion between the anode and cathode cells, and Fig. 4 shows a similar diaphragm in which the membranes are reinforced by additional membranes.

In carrying out my invention I construct the diaphragm, b, of van organic substance, animal or vegetable, as for instance, paper, or parchment paper, felt, leather, textiles, veneer, or the like, which is nitrated by saturating the material in a solution of nitric acid, or equivalent solution, or by subjecting the material to the action of a nitrating gas or gases. 0n the other hand, the nitration may be effected by combining an organic or inorganic material, such as wood or paper pulp or asbestus, with nitro-cellulose, and forming the diaphragm from the compound by molding or pressure, as shown in Fig. 1; the same result may be attained by coating an organic or inorganic 'material with a nitrocellulose or equivalent material `to protect the same against the action of the electrolyte.

In Fig. 2, the diaphragm, b, made of any of the materials hereinabove referred to, is reinforced on both sides by a textile material, b', land b2, respectively, one of which, namely the reinforcing sheet, b,facing the anode, a, only, is nitrated as described. The object of reinforcing the diaphragm as described, is to enable it to withstand much higher pressures than would be the case otherwise. Onwthe other hand, to prevent diffusion as much as possible, I construct the diaphragm in the form of a cell for the reception of a semi-fluid or a solid substance, two or a greater number of diaphragme being employed in the construction and arranged to form a cell for the reception of the interposed material. The individual diaphragms may be constructed of a material and treated as above set forth.

In Fig. 3 the cell, e, is formed between two diaphragms, b, b3, the one, b, facing the anode,

a, or forming o ne of the walls of the anode cell, d, is nitrated as set forth. In orderlto impart to these cell diaphragms the necessary strength to resist pressure when they are made of paper or paper parchment, I reinforce both by means of a strong textile fabric or several layers thereof, or with equivalent materials, as leather, gelatine, veneer, asbestus, felt, or the like applied to the outer face of the diaphragrns, b, and b3, as shown at b', b2, Fig. 4, such reinforcing material or at least the 1naterial, b', facing the anode, a, being nitrated as described.

In the electrolytical treatment of the chlorides of the alkalies, carbonio acid, for instance,` may be introduced into the cell, e, between the diaphragms by means of a suitable pipe connected with'said cell near the bottom thereof as shown at o, Figs. 3 and 4, or by means of a pipe projecting into the cell to near the bottom thereof, as may be found most convenient forthe purpose of preventing any deleterious action of the electrolyte in the cell, e, upon the diaphragms by the formatlon of carbonates or bi-carbonates.

Of course it will be understood that the aphragms herein referred to are supported 1n the electrolytical apparatus in suitable frames between which they are clamped, as is well known.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new therein, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isv l. In an electrolytic apparatus having adjacent cells of unlike name, a partition between said cells comprising adiaphragm constructed of a nitrated textile material, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In an electrolytic apparatushaving adjacent cells of unlike naine, a partition `between said cells comprising a diaphragm constructed of a nitrated textile material `and one or more auxiliary diaphragme, said nitrated diaphragm facing the insoluble electrode, sub-` stantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. An electrolytic apparatus having adja-` cent cells of unlike name, and. a chambered partition dividing said cells having its wall facing the insoluble electrode constructed of y a nitrated organic substance` as a nitrated` textile material, substantially as andA for the purpose set forth.

CARL I-IOEPFNER.

Witnesses:

GEORGE LOUBIER, RICHARD SCHMIDT. 

